Villarreal coach fuming over Van de Ven's potential second yellow card

Villarreal head coach Marcelino García Toral insisted the result was "unfair" after losing to Tottenham Hotspur courtesy of a Luiz Junior own goal in the 4th minute, adding that the referee was "biased" for not sending off Xavi Simons and Micky Van de Ven.

"Unfair given what both teams did on the pitch. I'm sad about the result, proud and extremely satisfied with how the team competed, with the image they presented. It's a shame not to have got at least a draw here, which perhaps would have been the fairest result. I think we did more to deserve the win. It has served to confirm to the players that they have the level to play in this competition," he stated.

"I think we will improve in the attacking department. We haven't been able to hit the target, but if you create chances, you end up scoring. We have done enough to deserve a different result," he concluded. Marcelino also spoke about the refereeing after the official did not show a second yellow card to Xavi Simons or Micky Van de Ven.

"There were two very obvious incidents. The second one was a scandalous decision. On the pitch, I saw it clearly, but then, in the television images, it seemed crystal clear to me. And the first play, too. In the first one, they would have been down to ten men for quite a few minutes. The referee was quite biased," he protested.

Regarding Luiz Júnior's mistake, Marcelino said that it is "time to encourage him". "It's part of the game, and mistakes are made by those who are on the pitch. We all make mistakes in our work. I consider each of my players' mistakes as my own mistake. Football is a team sport. We must all assume that a team-mate's success or failure belongs to everyone. Give him all the support, like the whole team, but I'm more concerned with how we competed than with a specific action by one of my players," he added.